With Earth Day coming up on April 22, it is a good time for us to reflect on how the industry deals with all of the well-loved snow sports equipment that needs to be retired. For the past several years, we have been working to mitigate the environmental impact of snow sports gear by working on a program to keep it out of landfills. With the Snow Sports Recycling Program (SSRP), we are helping the industry repurpose materials from retired equipment to make new gear.

This year, SSRP has been working with Momentum Recycling in Salt Lake City as a consolidator for the region. Momentum’s passion for the outdoors and the environment make it a great partnership that will help the SSRP continue to expand.

“Momentum Recycling is thrilled to partner with SSRP to divert snow sports equipment from the landfill. Momentum Recycling’s partnership with SSRP opens up yet another opportunity to help Utah communities move along the path to zero waste,” said Jeff Whitbeck, co-founder and owner of Momentum Recycling. “This initiative gives snows sports’ enthusiasts the opportunity to take an active role in minimizing their footprint while working hand in hand with snow sports industry representatives in the pursuit of a cradle-to-cradle manufacturing philosophy.”

This season saw the continued development of an effective rural pilot program with Recycle Utah (RU) located in Park City Utah. RU is now working in conjunction with Momentum Recycling to develop a model to implement in other resort and rural areas.

“We do not have a recycling program such as SSRP in Utah,” said Insa Riepen, executive director of Recycle Utah. “Once we found this program, we were able to become the first comprehensive collection point in this state.”

Over five seasons, SSRP has reduced approximately 500 tons of used boots, skis, boards and poles collected from Rocky Mountain retailers and resorts into grinds that can be repurposed for other snow sports products. Nationwide, 68 storefronts are participating, with most in Colorado and Salt Lake City.
“The Snow Sports Recycling Program has come a long way over the past few seasons,” said Greg Schneider, SSRP manager. “We owe much of that progress to great partners in the snow sports and waste processing industries.”